The Pogues may or may not have sworn off their traditional Christmas tours of the U.K. following their 2010 outing, but the folk-punk favorites are set to play a one-off London concert this December. Billed as the band’s only U.K show of the band’s ongoing 30th anniversary tour, the Dec. 20 gig is set for London’s O2 Arena.

Welcome to the Week in Rock, where we round up all of the headlines posted on this site over the past week. This edition includes news about Jah Wobble and Keith Levene, The Cure, The Pogues, The Smithereens, World Party, Bronski Beat and Communards, The Waterboys’ Mike Scott and much, much more.

The Pogues will embark on a short run of European dates later this summer, culminating with a pair of back-to-back concerts in Paris this September that are being billed as a 30th anniversary celebration that will be filmed and recorded for both a future live CD and DVD release.

This latest round of links and such includes a story on Johnny Marr’s plans to record two solo albums, a look back at Talk Talk, a podcast featuring an interview with Gang of Four, and news that the Pogues’ U.S. tour will be their last.

The Pogues today announced a short 10-date, six-city U.S. tour next March dubbed ‘Parting Glass with The Pogues’ — which follows up next month’s ‘Farewell Christmas Tour’ of the U.K, a trek that, when announced, was widely interpreted as marking the end of the band.

Last night, a host of musicians — including Alison Moyet and Billy Bragg — gathered at London’s O2 Sheperd’s Bush Empire to remember the life and musical legacy of Kirsty MacColl on what would have been the late singer’s 51st birthday.